Not many racing games deviate from the usual formula of current generation titles. Amazing visuals? Check. Realistic controls? Check. Real world race design? Check. However, Riptide GP: Renegade is different. The game, alongside its predecessor, brings back the fun of the racing genre without the dullness of simulation gaming on the PS4. Riptide GP: Renegade has interesting track design, the hook of landing tricks on the waves (and air), and fast gameplay; all of this is sorely missing in this current generation of gaming, and this racer is a breath of fresh air.
First and foremost, the racing is rock solid in 1080p and 60 FPS. Everything feels just right; the way the jetski maneuvers around the waves, the turns, and the way you hit tricks is outstanding. Despite the series originally coming from mobile platforms, this entry was built for the console and it shows through its fluid controls and use of the vibration from the controller. The vibration? That seems quite novel. Well, while you can accurately steer around the course, the player can feel the feedback of hitting the water through the vibration. If you hit the water hard, you feel it shaking vigorously and if you hit a smaller patch of water, it gives a small rumble. It really adds to the game, and every race feels fast and action-packed, which is the most important aspect of an arcade racing title.
The tracks are varied, but at the same time become repetitive due to the lack in quantity. For example, Firewater is set in a burning forest, Tropico Bay is in a theme park, Alpha Section is in a space station. Each of the 9 tracks have their own unique aspect. Alpha Section has ramps that go up and down and Tropico Bay has a ramp section within a large open sewer-like area. They are well designed and each of them feels fun to race and perform tricks on.
The story is a sore part of the game. Solely text-based, it has bland writing, a barebones narrative, and no interesting characters. While Vector Unit have tried to add in different elements, such as time attack, trick, and elimination modes, the repetition of going on the same tracks just becomes tiresome, despite their great design. It would be great if the developers made the story mode considerably shorter with the content that’s in the game. Despite that, there is an incentive to keep going and that’s the experience and currency system. You can spend money to increase the stats of the vehicle and gain experience to learn tricks or improve certain aspects of the racer, such as increasing drifting and boosting time. It’s basic, but it’s a nice touch. It’s also mandatory as the difficulty ranks higher the further you get into the campaign, but once again, the lack of interesting character unlocks makes a lack of incentive to keep playing.
Unfortunately, the online modes are dead. We received a review code a few months after the game’s release, and during Friday and Saturday night, I was unable to connect to any games; it’s a shame because I would love to play this game every once in a while online. On the other hand, if you’re someone who wants more local co-op games on the PS4, you’re in luck as this has 4 player split-screen; this is exceptionally rare!
A reason for the dead servers might be due to some overlooking the title due to its graphics. Although there’s a great racing game to be had in Riptide GP: Renegade, the graphics are similar to what a phone/tablet game would look like. There’s a lack of detail in the textures, the characters, and the environments despite the interesting track design around the racers. One example of some eye-popping visual design is the busy metropolis of Downtown Rush, which has flying cars buzzing around at the beginning of the stage. However, the most important aspect of a wave racer is the water, and thankfully it looks great. The waves are simulated in a realistic manner, the splash of water on the screen adds to the effect of surging through the track fast, and the subtle blur effects add to the look of the water rushing past. The fact that it’s running in 1080p and 60 frames per second makes each race look action-packed too, and while I usually don’t care about this aspect of gaming, you can really see it in Riptide GP: Renegade.
Vector Unit have a great template of a wave racer from its well designed tracks and fluid controls, but Riptide GP: Renegade lacks the visual fidelity, depth, and online modes that console gamers look for from this generation.